Chemistry Final
Which of the choices below correctly describes four types of drainage patterns?
(1) rectangular pattern, which develops on highly jointed bedrock; (2) trellis pattern, which develops in areas of alternating weak resistant bedrock; (3) dendritic pattern, which develops on relatively uniform surface materials; (4) radial pattern, which develops on isolated volcanic cones or domes
A stream begins at an elevation of 200 meters and flows a distance of 400 kilometers to the ocean? What is the average gradient?
0.5m/km
About how long have wastewater treatment plants been in existence?
120 years
How much garbage does the average person produce in a month?
150 pounds
Approximately what percentage of Earth's land surface has been affected by glaciers during the Quaternary period?
30
Which of the following would be considered household hazardous waste?
A can of spray paint
What are the differences between laminar flow and turbulent flow?
A laminar flow moves in nearly straight-line paths parallel to the stream channel; a turbulent flow moves in an erratic fashion with horizontal and vertical swirling motions. Unlike laminar flow, a turbulent flow occurs where the flow resistance in the channel is the greatest. Unlike a laminar flow, a turbulent flow erodes by lifting sediment from the streambed.
Contrast proglacial lakes and pluvial lakes, and give an example of each.
A proglacial lake, such as Lake Agassiz, was formed by glacial meltwater at the terminus of a glacier. A pluvial lake, such as Lake Bonneville, forms from a decrease in evaporation in the presence of moderate precipitation as glaciation causes temperatures to decrease.
A drumlin is a ________.
A smooth, tapering ridge of till formed and shaped beneath a continental ice sheet
Which choice describes how an erosional floodplain develops?
A stream approaches a graded condition, stops eroding, and starts meandering. As the stream meanders, it widens the valley by continuously eroding the banks on both sides. This widened valley is an erosional floodplain.
Which one of the following statements correctly describes how stream terraces can form?
A temporary base level is eliminated; the stream downcuts upstream from the old temporary base level, and the former floodplain is left well above the present elevation of the strea
In which situation does the cone of depression need to be taken into account?
A well for industrial purposes is drilled proximal to a smaller, domestic well.
Which one of the following applies to a valley glacier that lengthens (extends its terminus downslope) over a period of many years?
Accumulation exceeds wastage.
Briefly describe a general drainage basin.
An area drained by a stream is called a drainage basin, which is bounded by an imaginary line called a divide. The divide can be clearly visible as a sharp ridge, or it could be difficult to determine in subdued topography.
Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning unconfined aquifers in urbanized coastal areas?
Any salty water in the aquifer will rise if the water table is lowered by pumping.
How does the theory of plate tectonics help us understand the causes of ice ages? Does this theory explain alternating glacial/interglacial climates during the Ice Age?
Because the plate tectonic theory explains the movement of continents over time, continents can show evidence of past glaciation even if they are not able to form glaciers in their present locations. Because of the slowness of plate movement, plate tectonics cannot account for rapid alternating glacial/interglacial periods.
Although "dry tombing" or capping a landfill after it is full is necessary, what problem can it create?
Biodegradable waste can remain for decades in a landfill.
___________ would help prevent the creation of leachate.
Capping the landfill when it is filled to capacity
Which of the following diseases has been all but eliminated from the United States because of wastewater treatment plants?
Cholera
________ are erosional features produced by valley/alpine glaciers.
Cirques
What are crevasses, and where do they form?
Crevasses are cracks that form in the zone of fracture at the top of the glacier. They form when tension is created as a result of the glacier moving over irregular terrain.
When water is pumped from a well, drawdown occurs. Which of the following is a true statement regarding drawdown?
Drawdown decreases with increasing distance from the well.
What is drawdown, and how does it relate to the cone of depression?
Drawdown is the term describing the process in which the water table around a well is lowered because of water discharge. This depression in the water table is conical and is called a cone of depression
________ are smoothly tapered, elongated hills of till shaped by an overriding, continental ice sheet.
Drumlins
What federal agency regulates the bottled water industry?
FDA
Why have local nutrient reduction strategies been slow to be implemented?
Farming is a business and nutrient reduction likely will not occur unless there is a clear economic benefit to doing so.
From where do the majority of the nutrients found in the northern Gulf of Mexico originate?
Farms located in the American Midwest
Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.
Floodplains
Moving from the headwaters to the mouth, in most streams, which of the following is true
Flow velocity generally increases.
________ in a delta are essentially cross strata inclined toward deeper water.
Foreset beds
Which one of the following statements concerning glacial deposits is NOT true?
Glacial erratics are blocks of rock that are too large for the glacier to move.
What is the primary energy source that drives the hydrologic cycle and most other cycles on Earth?
Glaciers
What share of U.S. freshwater is provided by groundwater, and what is most groundwater used for?
Groundwater provides 25 percent of the United States' freshwater. It is mostly used for irrigation and public use.
________ is a coefficient that takes into account the viscosity of the fluid and the permeability of the aquifer.
Hydraulic conductivity
Which best describes plastic flow?
Ice layers slide over one another and remain intact.
How might a stream channel become braided?
If a large portion of a stream's sediment load consists of coarse material and the stream has a highly variable discharge, a stream channel can become braided.
Why do V-shaped valleys often contain rapids and/or waterfalls?
In many V-shaped valleys, resistant bedrock upstream creates rapids by acting as a local base level while downcutting occurs in less resistant bedrock downstream.
Which of the following statements accurately describe the erosional processes of meanders that are incising and meanders that are in equilibrium?
Incising meanders erode primarily by downcutting. Meanders in equilibrium erode primarily in a side-to-side manner.
Why are researchers exploring the use of the radish as a cover crop?
It may be able to conserve most fall-applied nitrogen on the same fields where it is applied, thus preventing nutrient runoff.
Which of the following areas is underlain by karst topography?
Kentucky
How are medial moraines and lateral moraines related to each other, and in what setting do they form?
Medial and lateral moraines are linear landforms that are produced by alpine glaciers. Lateral moraines are deposited along the valley walls, whereas medial moraines result from the merging of two glaciers, their lateral moraines combining to form a medial moraine.
Where are the largest kettles located?
Minnesota
Why do farmers apply nitrogen to their fields in the spring and fall?
Nitrogen provides nutrients to the plants for the coming growing season.
Why is the northern Gulf of Mexico described as a "dead zone"?
Nutrient enrichment starts a chain of events that depletes the water of oxygen, making it difficult for aquatic life to survive.
Many larger rivers in the Colorado Plateau region meander in deep, narrow canyons and have no floodplains. How could this happen?
Original, old age streams downcut as the land gradually rose.
________ are both deposited by meltwater streams.
Outwash plains and valley trains
________ is an abandoned, cutoff, meander loop.
Oxbow
__________ are defined as a chain of glacial lakes where each lake flows into the next.
Pater noster lakes
How does an end moraine form?
Pieces of rock are transported to the front of a glacier as ice within the glacier moves.
________ form when meltwater is trapped behind an ice dam during glacier or ice sheet retreat
Pro-glacial lakes
________ describes the particle transport mode in streams intermediate between suspension and rolling along the bottom
Saltation
Which of these options accurately describes settling velocity?
Settling velocity is the speed at which a particle falls through a still fluid. This velocity is influenced by the size, specific gravity, and shape of the settling particle. Settling velocity has no effect on the dissolved load of a stream
________ would have the largest capacity to naturally remove sewage pollutants.
Slightly clayey sand
Which one of the following concerning stalactites and stalagmites is NOT true?
Stalagmites form on the floors of caves below the water table.
________ are specific features of karst topography.
Streams flowing into depressions and continuing underground
________ generally constitutes the highest percentage of the annual sediment load moved by a stream.
Suspended load
What is the primary energy source that drives the hydrologic cycle and most other cycles on Earth?
The Sun
In general, how do the channel width, channel depth, flow velocity, and discharge change between the headwaters and the mouth of the stream?
The channel width, channel depth, flow velocity, and discharge all increase as the stream approaches the mouth.
In the absence of cutoff, how does a river meander loop behave over time?
The gradient is lowered as the channel lengthens and migrates toward the cut or outer bank of the loop.
What is the source of heat for most hot springs and geysers, and how is this reflected in the distribution of these features?
The heat sources for most hot springs and geysers are magma bodies and igneous rocks. Thus, hot springs and geysers are often located where igneous activity occurs.
What occurs to cause a geyser to erupt?
The heat underground within a geyser causes the water to expand, and some water is forced out of to the surface. Water deep within the geyser quickly turns to steam, causing the geyser to erupt.
Which of the following is likely to occur to an incised meander after it reaches equilibrium with its new base level?
The incised meander will cause only minor erosion of the canyon walls.
What three major changes to the flow of rivers in the Central United States occurred during the Ice Age?
The river valley of the Teays River was destroyed as a result of being filled in by glacial deposits. The Illinois River now flows where the Mississippi River flowed before the Ice Age. The Great Lakes formed within river valleys.
What term refers to any type of glacial deposit, and what is the difference between till and stratified drift?
The term "glacial drift" describes any sediment that is of glacial origin. Till is an unsorted type of glacial drift, whereas stratified drift is sediment that is sorted according to the size and weight of particles.
where are glaciers found today, and what percentage of the Earth's surface do they cover?
Today, glaciers are generally found near Earth's poles and in high mountains. They cover nearly 10 percent of Earth's land surface.
Under what conditions will the front of a glacier remain stationary?
Under what conditions will the front of a glacier remain stationary?
Is the water table usually flat like the surface of a kitchen table, and why or why not?
Underground, the water table is shaped like a subdued replica of the land surface. Additionally, the water surfaces of rivers and lakes are the level of the water table.
What is the snowline?
What is the snowline?
When does an alluvial fan form?
When a stream with a steep gradient emerges onto a relatively flat lowland, its gradient drops, and it deposits a large portion of its sediment load in a pattern that looks like a fan from above
The ________ was the most recent Pleistocene glacial episode in North America.
Wisconsinan
Will plucking occur if a glacier is NOT advancing?
Yes, because glacial ice is still moving inside the glacier even if the glacier's front is not advancing.
The water table is ________.
a boundary between saturated rock below and unsaturated rock above
What is a stream's longitudinal profile?
a cross-sectional view of a stream from the headwaters to its mouth
Which of the following might have changed the Pleistocene climate from an interglacial stage to a glacial stage?
a decrease in solar energy received by Earth, caused by changes in eccentricity
Which of the following best describes the cone of depression?
a dimple in the water table surface due to water pumped faster than an aquifer can be replenished
What is an end moraine?
a ridge of debris deposited at the end of a glacier
an aquifer
a saturated, porous, and permeable layer or stratum
List the features layered in the cross section of a flowing artesian well from top to bottom.
aquitard, aquifer (containing well base), aquitard, flowing artesian well, pressure surface
What term describes a groundwater system in which water in a well rises above the top of the aquifer without use of a pump?
artesian
In which of the following situations would you intersect the water table?
at the ground surface in swamps
You accidentally flush your cell phone. Where will it most likely be found at a wastewater treatment facility?
bar screen
Which of the following products of a wastewater treatment facility is often put on farm fields as a fertilizer?
biosolids
How do icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean originate?
by calving of large piedmont glaciers in Greenland
Which common, rock-forming mineral or mineral group is most readily dissolved by groundwater?
calcite
What does the Kanapaha Wastewater Treatment Facility use to disinfect the treated water?
chlorine
What does the Murphree Water Treatment Plant use to disinfect the water?
chlorine
Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.
cirque
Where does settling of solids occur at a wastewater treatment facility?
clarifier
What are the two types of aquifers?
confined and unconfined
What is the next frontier in the drinking water industry?
desalination
The volume of water flowing past a certain point in a given unit of time is called ________.
discharge
Describe the erosion occurring during headward erosion.
erosion backwards at the start of the stream
What are water gaps?
erosion through hills or ridges caused by a change in base level
The process by which liquid water changes into water vapor is called ________.
evaporation
What feature is the focal point of an alpine glacier's growth?
fjord
Once a groundwater supply is contaminated with marine water, how long will it remain contaminated?
forever
What are visible effects of glacial erosion? Select all that apply.
grooves parallel to the direction of the glacier's movement on the surface of the bedrock The generation of erosional landforms Polished rock on the surface of the bedrock
After ice sheets and glaciers, ________ contain(s) the next highest percentage of Earth's freshwater.
groundwater
Which of the following is considered to be the safest drinking water source?
groundwater
Waterfalls are most likely to form in which of the following settings?
hanging valleys
Large, relatively flat masses of ice extending seaward from the coast are known as ________.
ice shelves
The cone of depression __________ near a well.
increases the hydraulic gradient
A(n) ________ is a closed depression formed by melting of an ice block buried in a moraine or outwash plain.
kettle
What hazardous material do electronics contain, making them important to recycle properly?
lead
The hot spring deposits at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, are travertine. What rock probably lies somewhere beneath the hot springs?
limestone
What is meant by a nonstructural approach to flood control?
limiting certain activities or land uses and implementing appropriate zoning regulations in high-risk flood areas
What hazardous material do fluorescent light bulbs contain, making it important to dispose of them properly?
mercury
Which stream environment has the highest competence?
near the headwater region of a glacial braided stream in summer
Of the following, where should a farmer drill to produce a flowing artesian well?
nto a confined aquifer
A(n) ________ would logically be situated next to a large end moraine or terminal moraine.
outwash plain
To ensure a continuous supply of water, a well must do what?
penetrate well below the regional water table surface
Water-saturated muds have low ________ but can have greater ________ than well-cemented sandstone.
permeability, porosity
When our oil supply is depleted, a new material will need to be used to produce _________
plastic
What term denotes the percentage of open space or voids in a material?
porosity
What force pushes groundwater from pore to pore below the water table?
pressure gradient or hydraulic gradient
Which of the options below are types of floods
regional flood dam-failure flood flash flood ice-jam flood
What is groundwater, and how does it relate to the water table?
roundwater is water that occupies the zone of saturation within the ground. The water table is the upper limit of the groundwater.
According to the hydrologic cycle, once precipitation has fallen on land, what paths might the water directly take?
runoff into a river infiltration into the ground runoff into the sea infiltration into the groundrunoff into the sea
A network of recharge wells can help correct the problem of ________.
saltwater intrusion
What is the best source of data showing Ice Age climate cycles?
seafloor sediment
Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern. stalactite dripstone stalagmite sinkhole
sinkhole
A ________ is the icicle-like speleothem that grows down from the roof of a cavern.
stalactite
Which type of glacial drift is deposited by glacial meltwater?
stratified drift
Which of the following erosional features provides clues to the direction of ice flow?
striations
What warms the waters that flow at Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, and at Warm Springs, Georgia?
the geothermal gradient
What serves as the ultimate base level for streams?
the ocean
What is the zone of wastage?
the part of a glacier where snow melting exceeds snow accumulation
Which of the following best describes the term glacial drift?
the sedimentary materials outwash and till
What is evapotranspiration?
the transfer of water directly from the land's surface into the atmosphere
Excessive groundwater withdrawals can cause ________.
the water table drops or declines in elevation
The bottom or downward tip of a crevasse marks the ________
top of the internal deformation and flowage zone
All of the following descriptions apply to stratified drift (not glacial till) EXCEPT for ________.
unsorted mixtures of many particle sizes
What causes meandering streams to downcut and become incised meanders?
uplift of the land the stream is flowing on
Which of the following is the only correct response concerning the location and causes of the extraordinarily severe, 1993, flooding on the Mississippi River and tributaries?
upper basin; very heavy, sustained rainfall in the late spring and early summer
Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases.
waterfall
Which of the following stream scenarios illustrates high flow velocity?
when a stream is near bankfull
What are the three main zones of a river system from highest to lowest?
zone of sediment production, zone of transportation, and zone of deposition
The near-surface zone that contains some of the water that soaks into the ground is called the ________.
zone of soil moisture